


Not So Scary Scarecrow

by Quinns_Clown



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-18
Packaged: 2018-07-12 19:28:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7119445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quinns_Clown/pseuds/Quinns_Clown
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hours of therapy and the prince of fears has been deemed sane, but is working at Arkham Asylum what he really wants or is it something more human?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Barbara exhaled deeply as she gazed deep into the dark, evil, blue eyes that belonged to the king of fear. Somehow he'd managed to pin her in the corner of the asylum. She was timid around him, mostly because he is a very capable psychologist that could probably do whatever he liked.

This started weeks ago. Arkham Asylum had reached record amounts of inmates escaping, the solution that was found was a brilliant one from the Batman to start a patrol around Arkham, one member of the bat family would be at Arkham at all times.

Batgirl got stuck with most of the shifts, since she was the only one that couldn't show up at home covered with cuts and bruises, Bruce's way of protecting her identity. Shortly after her patrols started so did all the creeping.

Jonathan was allowed to start working at Arkham again, which was concerning enough on its own. Since he started working there again, Barbara felt the need to try to know him better, she would check in on him whenever he was alone in his office, talk to him, keep him distracted really. It was all going well for about a week but then he started following her when she was doing her rounds, telling her some stories about the patients, talking about how some of them reacted to the fear toxin he would use.

It didn't take long for him to start asking her questions about her life, probably trying to figure out who she was underneath. He'd started to show actual interest in who she was, even if he had no idea who she was.

Jonathan smirked a bit as he returned the gaze, her eyes were also blue, but they were a much lighter blue, the kind that would make people convinced she was innocent. Despite having to see his own every day in the mirror, Jonathan found her eyes so much more interesting. They held secrets, they made Jonathan feel like he wasn't good enough, made him feel like he was smaller than her, below her in the food chain, something he would normally detest, but the way she made it feel made him curious. He wanted to explore this feeling, why he felt she was better than him.

Jonathan looked over the almost skin tight suit on the girl in front of him before raising his sight back up to her eyes. "You're here early. Why? Don't you have a life outside of this place?"

"Don't you?" Barbara sneered at him. "When you're not locked in here, you're working here." She tried to make it seem like she was fine, despite how intimidating he was.

"Deflecting only makes it seem like you have no answer, or it makes it seem like you don't want to answer. Don't you have a life?" Jonathan tried to find out if he could establish the same dominance over her that he was able to with everyone else.

She only glared at him, her eyes glossed over with ice as she felt herself turning cold against him. "What do you want, Crane? I have a job to do." She rested her back against the wall, a type of defense mechanism.

"Just to chat, I don't have any patients for the next hour, and last time I checked you had the night shift tonight, don't you?" He raised an eyebrow at her. 

"You memorized my schedule?" Barbara let her own curiosity slip.

"Yeah, so? It's not hard, it's just the two of you watching over this place." He shrugged, for half a second he seemed like a completely different person.

Barbara searched him as quick as she could, making sure she was still talking to the same person. For a minute he wasn't the doctor she knew, he was someone who could be mistaken for innocent, but then her gaze returned to his eyes. They were the same dark, evil eyes that reminded her of how dangerous he was.

"Can we at least talk while we walk? I plan on making sure everyone is where they should be." She started to walk away, not caring if he would follow or not, turning the same cold shoulder to him that she had almost every time.

"Of course." The smirk returned to Jonathan's lips as he followed her, allowing only a step between them at any given time. "How was your day? School? Any part of it?" He decided to rapid fire the questions at her so she would answer at least one of them.

"Tiring, but normal. What about yours?" Barbara peeked back at him, almost tempted to slow down so they were side by side.

"Well, aside from a few unstable patients, the normal work day for me." He shrugged a little, taking note of her glance backwards and the slight falter in her steps. "What's your relationship with the Batman like?" He asked plainly, hoping to get a reaction.

"I don't know, fine, I guess." She tired her best to sound like she was fine, but she was tired, of everything.

"You know, I don't mind listening to your problems. It might make you feel better to talk about them." Jonathan tried to seem friendly, he hadn't really gotten this deep into conversation with her, ever.

"It's like he thinks we're brother and sister, like he thinks he has to protect me, he just doesn't see me as an equal." She bit her lip and silently cursed herself, she didn't mean to say anything like that, but somehow he pulled it out.

"Really? How does that make you feel? Knowing that he thinks he's better than you?" Jonathan smirked victoriously, his abilities as a psychologist certainly were not lacking.

"It's wrong, we've been official partners for eight years and he still acts like I'm just a child, like I can't defend myself." She stared down at the ground.

"That must be upsetting, is it not?" Jonathan could tell he was getting to her, he just figured it would be a little more work.

"Yeah, well, who cares?" She shrugged it off and returned to her usual self.

"You should. The kind of loyalty you've shown him deserves to be rewarded." Jonathan dropped wanting to know about what was going on. He wasn't all that interested anyway, there was no way he would get anything from her this way. "But, that put aside, why are you always here?"

"Nothing else to do, I guess." She shrugged again and quietly pulled a clipboard from the wall. She made a small, neat note that listed the time and that the patients were all in their appropriate places.

"Ah, I'd be lying if I said I didn't how that felt." He watched as she made the small note, examining her fancy handwriting. "Do you spend a lot of time alone?"

Barbara looked over at the man, a slight look of annoyance covering the look of curiosity that would be showing. "Where did that come from? Why does that matter?" She was a little worried that he might be trying to get under her skin.

"I'm just curious, see, people with tidy handwriting are people who practice it more because they have nothing else to do, hinting at spending a lot of time alone." Jonathan stayed where he was, despite her sudden flare of anger. "That's all."

Barbara laughed a little bit, more of a brief chuckle. "No, I just have nice handwriting, you over analyze everything." She smiled a bit at him. "You don't really seem too interested in who I am beneath the mask." She let up a little bit, her own interest getting the best of her.

"I'm not so interested in who you are, but more of why you do this. I'll probably never figure out either one but, still fun to try." He looked down the long hall they just walked through then back to her. "Are you interested in anyone?" He gave a sort of twisted smile. "Since we're playing this game, might as well make it interesting, right?"

Barbara held back an intrigued look. "Uhh, currently, no." She leaned back against the wall. "What about you?"

"Not sure, I might be." He responded to her movement by getting closer to the wall across from her, rather than standing in the middle of the hall. "Not even in Batman?"

"That's kind of weird, we're kind of like family. Who is it?" Her eyes lit up in wonder, something that definitely did not go unnoticed.

"No one who would ever look twice at me." He shrugged a bit, a look of entertainment playing on his face as he watched her expressions change. "How old are you?"

Barbara grew a false sympathetic look. "How unfortunate." She quickly lost that look as she heard the next question. "I... I can't tell you."

"Why not? I'm not gonna track down every redhead girl in Gotham the same age as you and check their closet for a batsuit, that would take too long." He smirked as he made his argument, feeling accomplished with himself.

She laughed a bit before letting out a sigh. "I'm twenty-two." She looked down at the ground, mostly to avoid his gaze.

"Interesting." He grew insanely curious of why she felt the need to look away, mostly because it gave him less of a view of her eyes. "I'm thirty-two, just in case you wanted to know."

"Wait, you are? Never would've put you past thirty." She looked back up at him before launching her eyes back down. It was hard to look at him.

Jonathan blinked a couple times and walked closer to her, placing a hand under her chin and lifting her face so she had to look at him. "Don't."

Barbara's cheeks began to heat up as a dark blush crept across her cheeks, she was saved by her mask covering up most of it. "Don't what?" She bit the inside of her lip so it would be less noticeable.

"Don't look down like that." Jonathan gazed down into her eyes, they really were bright and beautiful.

She couldn't say anything at this point, he rendered her speechless. He was closer than the two of them had ever been and if she had said anything it would have been through stutters.

He found himself getting lost in her eyes, they truly were a gateway to the soul and he felt that, even though he had no idea who she was behind the mask, he knew exactly who she was. He spent a moment searching the orbs he had fallen for before he made his next move.

Leaning forward, just enough to close that tiny gap, Jonathan gently brushed his lips against hers. A shiver ran down her spine as she found herself frozen, stuck under his control, under his spell. He pressed his lips against hers and waited for her reaction. Barbara felt that shiver coming back, but refused to let it through. She returned the kiss her eyes sliding shut, and moving her hands up to him. One rested on his cheek and the other wrapped around his neck, laying dead, so that her fingertips were just grazing the back of his neck.

Jonathan continued to lead the kiss as he ended it for a brief moment before picking it up again, his eyes also shut as he found himself getting lost, her lips were soft and enchanting. He slowly started to advance, cautious of her movements, he wrapped both of his hands around her waist and pulled her closer so her body was pressed against his. He paused and ended the kiss, giving her a second to adjust before moving on.

She opened her eyes to peek up at him before moving the hand that rested on his cheek to the back of his head and carefully lifting herself to his level, placing a kiss of her own to his lips. She knew she would be screwed if somebody saw them but she was caught. Her eyes slammed shut again as she held him in the kiss, being careful to keep her body as close to his as she could, adoring the feel of his body heat mixing with her own.

Jonathan slowly ended the kiss again and looked down at her. "I hate to do this, but I have to get back to work. I have reports to turn in." He quietly moved his hands to her arms, dragging them up her body as he'd did. He carefully unhooked them and moved them away.

Barbara exhaled deeply as he started to walk away, silently yelling at herself for letting him get that close and not fighting back. She quietly turned and walked in the opposite direction, practically running away from the hallway they were just in.

Jonathan quietly walked back to his office, a small smile playing on his lips as he did. He walked into the small office he claimed as his and shut the door quickly behind him. A brief sigh slipped out before he he sat down in his desk and started flipping through the stacks of papers.

Barbara continued to wander the halls, checking on the thousands of patients. She walked past some of the people she helped to put in there and grew thankful that Jonathan didn't try to pull her mask off. She knew there were plenty of people here that wouldn't think twice about it. After finishing her rounds she found her way to the employee break room, a place she was quite familiar with, it was the room she decided she would spend most of her night shifts.

She sat down on the couch that lay against the wall and checked the signal that Bruce gave her, she learned that it was used to send important messages from the bat computer when the police couldn't shine the light, something that had been in testing for a while. She decided to play around with it for a while, the only form of entertainment she wouldn't get tired of quickly.

After a few minutes of playing with the small device she felt her phone start vibrating. She quickly pulled it out of the holster on her belt and looked at the screen, her dad was calling.

"Amy's hair salon, this is Mia speaking. How can I help you?" She smiled a little bit, knowing her dad would probably question it.

"Why don't you ever answer the phone like a normal person?" Gordon questioned through the phone.

"Normal people answer the phone like that, like Mia down at Amy's hair salon. What's up?" She knew that he liked to check in, but considering her current location she had to make it quick.

"Oh, not much, I just wanted to see if everything was okay. There was a double homicide just down the road from you, a couple got shot in their own home." He sounded a little put off by the crime.

"Oh yeah, everything's alright, I didn't even hear it." She tried her best to make it seem like she was still at home.

"Listen, Barbara, I'm in the neighborhood and I think I might swing by, you know. I don't get to see you a lot." He sounded like he was sincere about it.

"Oh, um, yeah... Not tonight, kay, dad?" She was trying to come up with a quick reason he would believe. "I'm just getting over being sick and I know you can't take the time off, if you get sick too, especially not with a double homicide." She faked a cough to the best of her ability, something she'd perfected the second time she used this as an excuse. "I'll swing by the precinct tomorrow instead, okay?"

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line. "Yeah, that sounds good. Be careful tonight, okay?"

"Yeah, alright. Talk to you later." She quickly hung up the phone and sighed a little bit. She thought that once she moved out it would be easier to protect her secret life, but that just seemed to make it harder.

A couple of hours passed and Barbara started wandering the halls again. The asylum was dead silent aside from the occasional noise from the few people that were still awake. The orderlies were all down in solitary confinement, aside from the scarcely seen ones that would drift by. She had small conversations with the nurses that took the night shift, but nothing to really occupy her.

She found herself standing outside an office door, the name written on it was one that made her feel hollow inside. Scrawled across the window with those little letters that stuck to glass was the name Jonathan Crane. The light was on but there wasn't a single sound coming from inside the room. She exhaled deeply and opened the door a bit, peeking around it to see if the room was empty or not.

Sitting in the desk across the room was the man she was hoping she wouldn't have to beg for attention. His head was down on the desk, raising instant question. She stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. Walking closer to him, Barbara noticed he was still breathing. She got a foot away from the desk and got down to his level. A smile quickly crossed her lips, he was asleep. She looked him over once more, taking in a better image of his position. His hair was messy and sprawled across his face, his glasses were pushed off to the side of his face, and he had one arm under his head and the other just laying over the edge of the desk.

Barbara suppressed all urges to start touching his face and only moved his glasses as carefully as she could. He was adorable like this and she couldn't deny that. She sat at the edge of his desk, smiling like a weirdo and adoring every inch of him.

It wasn't long before she started feeling a little creepy and she forced herself to move. She stepped back a little bit, took another look at him then turned, beginning to walk away.

A soft almost unheard groan sounded behind her just before she could reach the safety of the hallway. "Do you need something?" Jonathan's voice slowly crept around the room, it was softer than usual, he almost didn't sound like himself.

"Uhh, no, I was just checking in on you, but you were asleep so I decided to just leave." Barbara turned around again, this time to face him.

"Mhm." He yawned a little. "Is that all? You didn't want to talk?" He now had a look of curiosity.

"Yeah. There's nothing to talk about, is there?" Barbara didn't really want to leave, she finished her second patrol and had no one else to talk to.

"I don't think so, but you seem to have a lot of hidden curiousness." He took a quick glance down to catch a glimpse of her body language, but his eyes shot back up at her eyes to show that he didn't mean any disrespect.

"I..." She took a moment to construct a sentence. "Why did you do it?" She gathered as much confidence as she could manage, he still made her feel nervous and defenceless.

"Do what?" He continued to gaze into her eyes, again being captivated by them.

"You kissed me, why?" She tried to keep the same tone about her as she spoke, not sure if she actually did.

"Because you wanted me to, you may not have said so, but your eyes were screaming it, when I touched you I felt you tense up in anticipation." He tried his best to make it seem like she really did ask him to kiss her, but he knew she could turn his words around.

"What? No. I didn't ask for any of that. I was just having a conversation with you." She tried to keep calm, not actually wanting to make it seem like she was mad at him.

"Maybe not verbally, but you didn't want me to stop either. You can't deny that." Jonathan's defence grew as they spoke. He knew exactly what cards to play, even with her counter arguments he was still right.

She opened her mouth to protest but it shut again, without any words escaping. "Yeah, I guess you're right..." She grew silent as she tried to think up a way to change the subject. "Why didn't you try to take off my mask." Curiosity took over again, this time she was certain there wouldn't be a reason to raise her walls to defend against an onslaught of words.

"Simple. I don't care who you are underneath. I don't deal with the girl behind the bat, I just deal with the Batgirl." He shrugged a little bit. "I thought I told you that already."

Barbara quietly moved over to the couch that leaned against the wall and took a seat in the middle. "What's the difference?"

"The girl underneath the mask is probably the average young adult. Going to college, aiming for good grades, a small job on the side so she can support herself and show her parents what she can do, but the Batgirl isn't held to the same standards. She can do whatever she wants, probably isn't very worried about disappointing anyone." He explained himself as quickly but fully as possible, taking note of her new position on the couch. Taking in another look at her, Jonathan felt himself hold his breath briefly before fixing his sight again. 

Barbara looked less like herself than usual, a mix of curiosity, wonder, and confusion attacking her all at once. "Why would they have to be so different?"

Jonathan let a pause slip into the room as if he were thinking of an answer. "Why else would somebody feel the need to dress up like a bat and fight crime? They're either displeased with their own life or worried about displeasing someone else. To be honest with you, I don't see a problem with it, as a doctor who deals with psychological problems, that means a lot."

Barbara stared at Jonathan, contemplating his words and whether he meant it as an insult or not. "I have to get back to work... I guess I'll see you around." She stood up quietly and walked out the door, definitely not waiting for him to respond. She shit the door tightly behind herself and continued to walk around the asylum, not really wanting to go into a specific room and waiting around for something to happen.

"You seem tired." A gentle voice sounded behind her, causing a quick jolt of fear that Jonathan had found her. Turning around, her fears were proven true. "You're acting differently, something connected to exhaustion. When was the last time you slept?"

She stood silent for a minute. "I... Yesterday?" She sounded a little startled by his accuracy.

"And you didn't see a problem with coming here tonight?" He grew a look of concern. "You know how unhealthy that is?"

Barbara stared deeply at Jonathan, his words weren't just for show, he seemed to actually be concerned about her. "I'll be fine, it's not like I do this a lot." She tried to shake it off but knew it wouldn't happen.

"You need the sleep, when you sleep you give your brain the chance to process everything you've experienced since your last sleep, it helps you stay ready to go." His dark blue eyes crossed the room and peered into her brighter ones.

"Well, it's not like I can just crash out in the lounge." She rolled her eyes away before reconnecting with his, a new expression had taken over his face, one that made it seem like he already had a plan for something like this.

"No, you can't, that would make you look bad. If only there were somebody here after hours who wouldn't mind letting you hide out in his office." He shrugged a bit, knowing she would catch on and try to turn him down.

"I can't do that. I can't risk something happening." She was really considering his offer.

"Take at least an hour and get some sleep, if anything happens, I'll take the blame for it, but I promise you nothing will happen." He was actually trying to convince her to listen to him.

Barbara bit her lip a little and nodded. "Okay, one hour."

The two slipped back into his office where he offered her the couch. A few words were exchanged before she found herself drifting off into sleep, the world becoming a faded mass of silence to her.


	2. Chapter 2

Barbara woke up quickly at the feel of a warm hand landing gently on her arm. She looked up to see who had familiarized their hand with her shoulder and quickly jolted up into the sitting position. "Dick? What are you doing here?" She searched the male quickly.

"Well, Bruce tried contacting you but you didn't answer so he asked if I'd come look for you." Dick scratched the back of his head. "That aside, are you okay? Sleeping on the job is one thing, but in the office of one of our most notorious criminals?"

"I'm fine, but seriously? He's not like that anymore." Barbara tried her best to defend him without making it sound personal. "He's been through countless hours of therapy, there's a reason he was able to get back to working here."

"Are you sure it's not just because this place is run by lunatics?" Dick stood up and offered her a hand, which was quickly taken and she was standing upright in front of him. She was a few inches shorter than him, but there was still no doubt she was as good as him, maybe even better.

"Yeah, okay, whatever." She rolled her eyes and started toward the doo, checking her phone for the time as she did. It was only a little after four o'clock, meaning she only slept for about thirty-five minutes. "So we're you patrolling or did you get all dressed up just to come check on me?"

Dick followed her for a few brief steps before they were walking side by side with each other. "Actually, I was hanging out in the cave, waiting for something to happen. Alfred had just convinced me to go to bed when Bruce called. So technically, neither. I was dressed and ready to go, but Bruce wanted me to stay home today."

"Right, so, what's been going on with the double homicide my dad was investigating earlier? I'm sure Bruce went down there and checked it out." Barbara looked over at the man she had considered a close friend for quite some time. Searching his expressions for any kind of a hint to the case.

Dick shrugged a little. "Yeah, he uploaded a file to the computer a little while ago, Alfred and I both looked at it, but agreed it would be something that would take more time to figure out."

"That's it? Hm, I thought a case like this would've been easier to solve." She leaned her back on the railing behind her, thinking about the case.

"Well, the last time we talked, just before I headed out, Bruce said the file was also sent directly to you with the little device he gave you, said it was like a bat computer away from the cave, all files could be accessed from that thing." Dick smiled a little bit. "It's all you've ever wanted as a child."

Barbara held back a laugh and instead let out a smile. "Yeah, all that and then some." She carefully pulled the small handheld computer from its place on her belt. "A direct hotline to the police station, and a complete database on every case we've ever even looked at. All in the convenience of a phone like device." She turned the screen on and started flipping through the pages.

"Hey, uhh, do you want me to cover the rest of your shift? You can go home, or hang out at the cave. I don't think Bruce would mind." Dick offered, knowing Barbara was still probably tired.

Barbara sat in silence, staring down at the small, handheld device for a moment before speaking up again. "Oh, yeah, sure. If you want. I mean, it makes no difference to me. I'll probably just crash again when I go home." She shrugged and returned her attention to the screen.

"You should, then, especially since you plan on going out again." He really did want her to go home, he was worried about her after all.

"Yeah, okay... Are you sure you want to take over tonight?" She didn't want to force him to do anything he didn't want to.

"Why not? I've got nothing else going on." He smiled a little. "Can I ask you something though? Why did you try to defend Crane?"

Barbara let out a fake yawn. "Thanks, I think I'll take your offer." She tried her best to act like she didn't hear him. "I'll let Bruce know as soon as I get outside."

Dick nodded a little bit, deciding not to pick at the topic. "Yeah, alright. Good night, Barbara." He stood where he was for a minute longer, watching as Barbara walked away.

Once outside, Barbara called in her early release and apologized. She gave the basic 'Sorry, I fell asleep, I know it's wrong, I didn't sleep well last night and I'll make it up later' speech she knew all to well. Bruce was less irritated then he was just worried about her, she did just disappear for a half an hour. She quickly made her way home and changed out of her batsuit into some pajamas.

She walked out into the living room and continued to play on the mini bat computer Bruce gave her. She looked through the file on the double homicide just down the road. She read over every detail with extreme care. She had always been interested in the crimes like this, they had a special appeal to them that was probably missed by most people.

After reading over the file for a while, Barbara found there were no leads, just as Dick said. She moved between files that were similar to the current case, they all had minor differences, however minor, they were what kept this from being a pattern.

She spent an hour reading over the report filed by her dad, the info Bruce provided, and the other cases. She was trying desperately to figure it out. Just before she was about to call it quits she found what would've been overlooked as coincidence. The days were the same. Three of the crimes, including the most recent occurred on the sixteenth of every month. She looked over them a few more times to make sure.

Her phone started to vibrate again and she let out a brief sigh. She welcomed the call as a short break from her work. Looking at her phone, she found it was only an opportunity to talk about what she found.

"Bruce? What's up?" She sounded relatively normal, despite being tired still.

"Just checking in." He let a short break in. "You've been looking over the case? Find anything?" He sounded some what interested, despite knowing it wasn't likely.

"Actually, yeah." She responded, a hopeful tune now covering the tiredness in her voice. "It's minor but, the days are all the same. Two other crimes almost exactly the same as this one, all three done on the sixteenth, spreading out over the last three months."

"That's not a lot. Unfortunately, it's all we have to go off of. Did you tell Gordon yet?" Bruce didn't sound too impressed with the discovery, so there was no doubt that the commissioner would be less than thrilled.

"Well, no. It seems too small. If this really is a trend, we'd have to wait until next month to confirm it." She let out a soft sigh. "I'm going to go see my dad tomorrow, afterwards, I'll head over to the cave and run the addresses through the computer, see if there's a pattern." Another break slipped through. "It's not looking good, Bruce."

There was silence on the other end for a while before an answer came through. "Alright." He returned to silence for a brief moment. "Get some sleep."

Barbara paused for a moment, thrown off a bit by the sound of concern present. "Yeah, I will." She shrugged a little bit.

"You need it." Bruce sounded serious, like he was really worried about her. "You're not doing well."

"I'm fine, really. I'll go to bed as soon as I hang up." She was still a little distracted by his concern. "I promise." The line cut off after that as if Bruce dropped the call. "Right, I can take a hint." She smiled a little bit and moved to her room where she fell asleep again.


	3. Chapter 3

Barbara woke up to the sound of her phone ringing, she searched her surroundings for the source. Finally finding it, she checked the caller ID and answered it. "Hey, dad, what's up?" She was still pretty asleep, so a fake answer was unthought of.

"Hey, Barb, are you feeling better?" Jim sounded a little more concerned than normal.

"Oh, yeah, a lot better." She yawned and continued the conversation. "Anyways, why did you call?" She asked, having no idea what time it was, she did her best to try and figure it out.

"Yeah, I was just checking in, what time were you planning on coming in?" He continued, not prying at the excuse she gave the night before.

"Uh, yeah, I'll be there in like fifteen minutes." She lay her head down on her pillow again and let out another small yawn.

"Alright, Barb, see you when you get here. Be careful." His voice came to a stop after that.

Barbara knew he hung up and only pay there, not holding much desire to get up. She lay still for another minute before hopping up out of bed, placing her glasses in their rightful spot on her face as she did. She got dressed in her usual style and stuffed her batsuit in her bag. Checking the time just before she left, Barbara was gone from her home and off toward the precinct.

She didn't drive at all, unless she was playing Batgirl, then she was more on the bike than anything else. She knew that Gotham was a big place, but she was used to running all over it for almost no reason.

It took her the estimated fifteen minutes to get to her destination and she gave a brief, almost relieved sigh as she walked into the building. She walked passed the reception desk and toward her dad's office, no questions were asked since she did this pretty often. She knocked on the door gently before opening it and peeking in.

She smiled a little bit, seeing her dad sitting in his desk, reading over a file. "Hey, dad." She tried her best to sound like she'd been awake for a while, rather than having just woken up.

Jim looked up and smiled a bit. "Hey, Barb. Good to see you're doing better." He stood up from his desk and offered her a hug.

She stepped inside and hugged him. "Yeah. It must've been one of those twenty-four hour things. No big deal." She ended the hug and sat down in one of the chairs against the wall. "What's going on with last night's homicide?" A small hint of curiosity was all she decided to use to cover up that she already knew everything there was to know.

"It's not good. Whoever did this was good at covering his tracks. He's obviously done this before." Jim let out a sigh and sat back in his chair. "He was probably contracted to do this."

Barbara grew a concerned look. "Yikes." It was becoming increasingly harder to cover up her knowledge. "What about Batman? Isn't he helping?"

"He is, but he didn't find much either. He said he'd put as much work into it as possible, but there's only so much one person can do." Jim looked increasingly more distressed.

"Well, you never know. He might be able to pull it off, he's worked harder cases before." She shrugged a little bit. "Have you been here all night?"

"Hm? Yeah, I couldn't go home. Not with this. We have three unsolved homicides, five robberies, Gotham's getting worse." He looked down at the file on his desk. "I'm not sure if people believe in the justice system anymore."

"Oh, come on, dad, it's not that bad. Besides you say that every time there's more than one crime going on. It'll be fine. You guys will get them. I believe in you." She smiled a little bit. "Besides, the people of Gotham just need reassurance that the justice system is still working." She felt her phone vibrate and she quickly pulled it out to check it. Across the screen was an emergency message from the batcave. "I really wish I could stay longer, but I have to go. Late to my study group." She stood up quickly and hugged her dad again.

"Alright, Barbara, be careful." He responded just as she started to walk out.

"Always!" She called back as she tore out of the building and down the road. Once she made it out of the public eye she ducked off in an alley and called for the bat bike. She pulled out her phone again and attempted to make contact with Bruce.

She called and waited for an answer, there was none. She tried again and a third time before trying Dick. She called his number and waited, anxious of the long ringing sound before silence.

"H-hey, Babs, what's up?" His voice came through as tired and not quite awake yet.

"Dick, Bruce is in trouble. I got an emergency message from the cave and tried to call Bruce, there was no answer." She was panicking pretty bad at this point.

"Alright, calm down. The emergency call was a drill. Didn't Bruce tell you? He's not answering because his phone is probably not in the cave with him. Alright?" Dick sounded calmer than he should have, probably because he was still asleep.

Barbara stood in silence for a minute, she forgot entirely about the drill and had actually taken this as a real emergency. "Y-yeah, no, I knew that, I was... I was testing to see if you remembered." She felt her heart sink as she said this. Maybe she was more tired than she thought.

"Heh, yeah, I'm sure. Why don't you head on over to the cave and make sure though." He sounded more awake now, but it was still covered by a layer of sleep.

"Maybe I will." She looked over at the street outside of the alley and watched as a dark purple bike pulled into the darkness and stopped. She quietly hung up the phone and changed into the batsuit as quick as possible, she wore a tank top under her suit and some pretty short shorts so she could do this.

She stuffed her casual clothes in her bag and climbed on top of the bike and backed out of the alley before taking off down the street. She stayed as far away from main streets, as a personal habit, instead she made her way around through all the alleys she could or through minor streets nobody went down, aside from the occasional car here or there.

She made it out of town pretty quick and made way for Wayne manor. It was a couple miles away, which helped to conceal its secret. She travelled down the road for awhile before turning onto a well hidden dirt path. As she grew closer to the cave entrance she watched as the wall opened just enough to let her through. She continued forward, slower now than before, until she came across a considerably small platform that held a few other bikes, back up in case it was needed. She pulled off to the side and killed the engine. Hopping off the bike, she pulled her mask off and let it hang around her neck. Barbara walked up the few short steps to the bat computer and looked around the cave.

Down by the tool bay was Bruce. He was playing around with the batclaw, probably trying to improve it. He didn't seem to have even looked up from the gadget he was tinkering with, which could be seen as good when dealing with a canister of pressurized air and sharp things.

Barbara walked over to where he was and set a hand down on the table, mostly to rest on. "Hey, Bruce." She looked over the tool and what he was doing with it. "Did it break or something?"

Bruce looked up for a second then back down, it wasn't that he was trying to ignore her but he was dealing with what could potentially be a dangerous mix. "The pressure valve gave this morning, I'm guessing it happened when the canister got a little dinged up. No big deal though, I've replaced it and created more of a shell for it to sit in." He tightened a couple more screws before standing up. "I'm going over to floor test it, see if it's still working the same." He informed her so she could go with if she wanted to.

She nodded a little bit. "It was bound to happen some day." She followed him down to the testing floor and stood behind him in the 'safe zone'. "It's probably a good thing that it was an easy fix."

Bruce held the batclaw steadily and fired it. The claw shot out like it should have, but it only went out about five feet. Barbara held in a laugh and walked over to stand beside him.

"Looks like a minor pressure problem, are you sure you calibrated it right?" She didn't mean to make it sound like he messed up, she was just offering a hint.

"Yes." He stood in silence for a second. "There was a slight jerk before it stopped, the cord must have gotten stuck." Bruce proceeded to pull the cord cover off and look for the problem.

"Alright, well, I'm gonna go run those addresses now. I'll let you know what comes up." She smiled a little bit and walked back up to the computer. Taking a seat, she started up one of the programs that her dad had shown her how to use and ran the three addresses through the system.

A brief sigh split the silence in the cave. "There's nothing. No pattern, no trend, no reason." She continued to scan the screen, hoping for some kind of break. "I knew it was a long shot, but I was still praying for something."

By this time Bruce had joined her up by the computer. "Looks like we have to wait for him to slip up. It's not something I want to do, but it'll have to be done." He sounded disappointed, mostly with the lack of information.

"How about witnesses?" She grew more determined to find as much as she could. The way he sounded was saddening, it was probably pretty hard for him to deal with a case like this anyway, but the fact he couldn't do anything about it didn't make it any better.

"I'm not sure if Gordon's talked to any of the neighbors yet, I was going to meet up with him later." He looked over the screen too. "But, there's no use spending a lot of time staring at the computer and waiting. You should go down to Arkham, if anything, talk to Crane, see if he can get anything."

Barbara sat still for a minute, caught off-guard by his suggestion. "You want to ask Crane for help?" She looked a little concerned at this.

"The other rogues trust him, even if he's not Scarecrow, they won't be expecting him to help us. If we're lucky, he can find one with some sort of knowledge of this guy." He paused for a moment and looked toward the chamber that held his batsuit. "I'm going to see if I can't get help elsewhere."

"Uh, where?" She looked a little confused. "If he's able to allude the cops, I don't think any of the people on the street will know."

"I'm not looking on the streets." He glanced back at the desk which held a curious, green 'trophy' in the shape of a question mark. "I'm going to see what Nigma knows."

"Edward? Why would he know anything?" She seemed a little concerned by this. "Even if he did, why would he help us?"

"Ever see those cameras that don't quite fit. Those belong to him. His had eyes on Gotham for a while now. I decided, rather than tear his system down, to leave it, it might come in handy." He walked toward the chamber and started work on getting dressed. "As far as getting help, he can't resist a good mystery, and having me ask him for help will boost his ego, he won't be able to deny."

Barbara let out a small sigh. "Alright, I'll take the bike down to Arkham, like you said." She didn't want to put too much interest into it or it might seem like she had other things going on.

Bruce finished suiting up and got into the bat mobile. "Be careful, Barb." He spoke up just before leaving.

She smiled a little bit, pulled her mask back on and crossed the cave to the bikes. She climbed up on top of the one she claimed as her own and also left the cave, leaving it silent and empty.


	4. Chapter 4

Once Barbara reached the asylum she pulled off to the side of the parking lot and killed the engine. She pulled herself from the bike and made her way toward the main entrance. A few soft voices could be heard once she got closer to the doors. Curiosity taking over, she followed the sounds until she saw the source.

Sitting a good distance away was Jonathan Crane and seven people she concluded to be inmates, all sitting in a chair of their own. Along with them was a guard for every patient and a few extras.

She breathed in deeply before approaching any more. Pausing just a few steps away, she took a moment to examine the group better. Two of the patients were transferred to the asylum from Black Gate, three of them used to work for Joker, and the last two were unfamiliar.

A brief moment passed before the patients were dismissed and taken back into the building. Barbara approached Jonathan, who now sat alone. He was writing a small note on one of the patient files he had on his lap.

Jonathan looked up at the woman who was now standing in front of him before looking back down at the paper. There was a small silence that stood heavy over the two of them. "Can I help you?" He spoke up.

Barbara took a minute longer, she had thought his voice would take a different tone that it had. It was plain, blank, empty of all emotion, much different from how it had been the night before. "Actually, I think you can." At this point, she couldn't figure out why she had expected his voice to be any different, it didn't change too much the night before either.

"Really? Did you realize you actually have problems, or is it something else?" He closed the file and stood up, fucking the multiple folders under his arm.

She adjusted her position so she was looking up at him. "I don't have problems... Well, not my own at least." She lowered her voice just a bit before returning to herself. "It's actually about a crime that we're having a little trouble with." She changed the subject as quick as she could, knowing better than to let him get to her.

"Oh, last night's murder?" He sounded certain he knew that's what she wanted. "It wasn't me. I can promise you that."

Barbara let a small smile find its way to her lips. "I know it wasn't you." She looked up at him quickly. "Wait, how did you know?" Once more her curiosity took hold of her.

"Stuff like that spreads like a wildfire." He shrugged a little, not too concerned with how the conversation could twist.

"So, you know who did it?" She was more worried about finding the murderer rather than his connection to the underworld.

A sort of smile crossed his lips. "Not personally no, but I do know of him, and I know that this isn't his first time." He quickly scanned the grounds, making sure they were alone.

"Who is he? Did he do the other three? The ones going back the passed couple of months?" She didn't mean to let that all go, but she couldn't help it.

"He did." Another brief glance around and his attention returned to her. "His name is Michael Torrence. He's known around the Iceberg Lounge. If you can get in, you've got him." Jonathan shrugged a bit. "He's been going on and on about his crimes."

Barbara felt victorious, like a small child that had just won a race. "Do you know how great this is?" She smiled, unintentionnaly of course, but she was glad he was actually able to help. "Thank you."

A short and soft chuckle was heard as she celebrated. "Now, I've given you that, how about you give me something?" He picked up a twisted smile. "Fair is fair."

There it was, a small pang of regret that spread through her body as she heard these words. She knew it would come down to this, he was a master of manipulation. "Of course." Her voice became soft, almost inaudible. "What do you think I owe you?" She dropped her eyes, to cover the fact that she was actually troubled by this.

"Oh, nothing to big." He cupped her cheek gently, and lifted her face again. "Just a kiss." A small smiled replaced the more sinister one. It could have been mistaken for innocence. "Unless you'd rather it be something else."

Barbara felt a deep, burning blush cross her cheeks. "A kiss? That's easy enough." She felt herself falling deeply into regret. It wasn't that she wouldn't enjoy the kiss, because she knew she would, it was more because she let him do this again.

He smiled and let go of her. "I'm busy today, but I'm certain you'll be here again tonight, why don't we put this on hold until then?" He could tell she was looking forward to it, even if she wouldn't admit it.

She stood in disbelief, another deep silence covering them. "Yeah, sure..." She looked down at the ground. The idea that he was going to let her think about this for a while longer really bothered her, mainly because it would build the anticipation.

"Fantastic. I have to get back to work now." He glanced down at his watch before walking away from her.

Barbara turned around and watched as he walked away, an unintended sigh slipped out. "That could have gone worse." She tried her best to make it seem like she had gotten off pretty easy.

A few minutes passed and she had made it back to the bat bike and called in the report to Bruce. He decided he would check it out and sent her to patrol Gotham. She didn't waste any time getting back into town, wanting to get as far from Jonathan as she could.

She parked the bike in an alleyway and proceeded to take place on top of the buildings. She took a tour around the city before settling down on top of the Ace Chemicals building, knowing she'd have a good view from there.

She spent a lot of time sitting on the edge or leaning against the raised bricks, but she would always wander from one side to another, making sure to keep an eye out for anything out of place. The longer she stayed up there the harder it was for her to suppress thoughts of Jonathan. It wasn't long before she found herself only leaning against one side, wondering about him, about why he chose only a kiss, about how calm he was. It didn't bother her as much as it should have, what got her was her inability to stop thinking about it.

A few hours had passed, she took another lap around Gotham before finding her way back to the Alley she ditched the bike in. She called in that she was done with her patrol and let Bruce know she was going to head to the asylum. He told her that Michael had been taken into the police department and was being interrogated. She kept the conversation to that and took off back toward the asylum.


	5. Chapter 5

Barbara made it passed the asylum gates shortly after 9:30 at night, parked the bike off to the side and proceeded to enter the building. Noone questioned it as she walked passed the front desk, most of the guards were walking out the door along with a fair share of doctors and nurses. She didn't look to see how many of them were left remaining, she decided she would do her first lap around the asylum without even thinking to talk to Jonathan.

The start of her patrol went well, but just as she turned out of the third row of cells she felt her heart rate increase dramatically. Down at the end of the hall stood two people, one unfamiliar and the other was the tall, dark haired male she promised herself she would avoid. He was talking to the other person with his back turned to her.

Just as soon as she felt the paralysis lift, she ducked into the next row of cells. Trying her best to act calm, she continued to walk down the isle.

Barbara wasted no time in getting to the other end of the room and stopped in front of the thick wall that separated the isles. She stayed there until her heart returned to its normal pace. When it finally did, she rolled over so she was facing the next row and started down there.

Her steps were slow and continued to decrease in speed the closer she grew to the other side. She knew she had to face him, she just wasn't sure she wanted to. She did more thorough searches of the cells as she passed by, delaying the meeting as long as physically possible.

Just as she turned the corner she let out a quick squeak as she bumped into a person whose figure was obviously much larger than hers. Apologizing a hundred times as she backed up, she looked up and immediately stopped. Standing, now a few feet away was that man she was trying so hard to avoid. "O-oh, h-hey, Dr Crane, how's it going?"

He held back a chuckle as he watched her scramble to regain her composure. "Better, now that you're here." A small twist in his lips appeared and created what might have been mistaken for a devious little smirk. "It's been an awfully long day." He played the innocent card, which didn't quite work out so much for him, considering he was intimidating, even without his toxin.

Barbara felt a deep, burning blush force it's way across her cheeks. Saved, yet again, by her mask. "G-great." She glanced down, scanning him almost, before her eyes jumped back up to his. "So, I have to go that way and finish my rounds. How about we continue this later?" She didn't wait for a response before trying to squeeze passed him and make her way to freedom from his gaze.

Just as she slipped by, she felt a hand wrap around her arm, not tight, but not exactly gently either. She turned back to see him smiling evilly at her. In one swift movement she was whipped around and put against the wall. He was careful not to hurt her, but if anyone else had seen it, they probably would have thought otherwise.

He now had a hand resting on the wall beside her and was in somewhat close quarters with her. "You have such beautiful eyes." He moved his other hand up to cup her cheek gently. "I've been thinking of them all day."

She felt her entire face heat up as he continued. She had been thinking of the kiss she promised him for the past couple of hours and she had prepared herself for it, but she didn't know he would make her so flustered when he did it. "I-I... Thank you?" She sounded uncertain of herself as she spoke, her mind now wandering off without her.

He moved his hand ever so slightly and ran his thumb, ever so gently over her lower lip. "Your lips too, how soft they were, how good they tasted..." He paused for a moment. "How well the fit against mine." He leaned in just a tad closer.

Barbara felt herself slowly forgetting what she was supposed to be doing as she began filling up with need. A need to be closer to him, a need to feel his lips against hers, a need to have him. She knew better than to take what she wanted, if she did, he would use it for his own benefit. Instead, she placed her hands against the wall and did her best not to claw at it.

Jonathan could tell she was fighting herself about this, that she was dying for it to happen. Deciding not to hold out too long, he moved his hand back to its previous position and pressed his lips against hers.

She felt a moment of relief fall over her as he did this. She turned her head ever so slightly so that they fit together better. She hated the idea he could do this to her, but at the same time, she adored his ability.

Jonathan split the kiss for a second before bringing it back. He wouldn't admit it, but he had made himself want her here, in this position. He did this a couple more times before stopping and moving on.

He licked her bottom lip briefly, almost to prepare her for his next move, and slid his tongue into her mouth. He didn't hesitate to start exploring the new grounds he was given access to.

Barbara felt her cheeks heat up again as she let him advance. She opened up her mouth just a little to give him more access. Her right hand reached up and landed on his chest, just inches away from his collar.

Jonathan pulled away ever so slightly, ending the kiss as he did. His breath was a bit faster than usual, but nothing too obvious. He stood still for a minute, as if he were waiting for something to happen.

Barbara exhaled deeply and glanced over Jonathan's expressions, he looked, surprisingly, like he had enjoyed himself. She stood still, not even moving her hand from his chest. She wasn't entirely certain she wanted to. She hated to admit it, but she loved the way this happened, maybe not the way she had expected, but she loved how wrong this was. Even just kissing Jonathan was wrong. It was a forbidden desire that she had no interest in stopping.

She quickly searched the surrounding area, making sure there was no one else, and gently slid her hand over a bit. Once she reached his tie, she wrapped her fingers around it and pulled him back into another kiss. It was heated and passionate, not the normal caring for your job kind of passion, but rather the secret romance that she couldn't resist kind.

Jonathan didn't fight it as she started up again, he refused to tell her no, not like he would have been able to anyway. He returned the kiss with the same amount of passion she had dished out.

Regrettably, Barbara was the first to pull away, knowing they both had jobs to do. She let her eyes linger shut for a while longer before even thinking of opening them. Once she finally did, she was met with those dark, secretive blue eyes.

Jonathan gazed deeply into her eyes, her beautiful, bright blue eyes. The only hint to who she was that he had, the secret gate into her mind. The eyes that he was trapped in, the ones he just couldn't escape. He was filled with an urge to hold her there, while he had her and never let her leave. Despite his desire, he knew they couldn't. If they were caught, at all, by anyone, they wouldn't ever be able to do this again.

Barbara fought the need to kiss him over and over and never stopping, but instead decided to only return his gaze. "I... I have to go..." She paused shortly. "I have to finish my rounds." Her eyes made their way down to the ground, knowing full well if she didn't she'd be stuck in that spot forever.

He nodded softly and moved away from her before taking off in the opposite direction, not even looking back to see if she had left.


	6. Chapter 6

Barbara continued to stand still for another thirty seconds before returning to her work. She wandered around the halls, finishing her patient check. She found herself mindlessly touching her lips, as if somehow he'd come back and treat her again.

She walked silently, ignoring the few people that were wandering around. Deep in thought, she started the second part of her shift, waiting. Waiting for something to happen, waiting for someone to walk along and light up her night. She didn't mind the waiting, it gave her a chance to be alone, a chance to think.

After a few minutes of debating, she finally decided to get up and do something. Something she never would have done normally. Something she knew could get her killed, both literally and figuratively. She quietly opened the door to the good sized office she normally tried to stay away from, and poked her head in.

Jonathan sat quietly behind his desk, writing in what looked like a notebook. He looked up to see who had opened his door and his face was blessed with a smile. "How nice of you to visit." He tried his best not to sound like he was actually happy to see her. "What can I do for you?"

She took a deep breath before stepping into the office and shutting the door. "Jonathan, I have to talk to you." She had gone over what she would say multiple times, but she still wasn't certain.

He set down his pen and gave her his full attention. "Professionally?" His eyes crossed her features before scanning the rest of her body, she seemed distressed.

"No, not entirely..." She felt hesitation growing inside of her. "Listen, I don't know how you feel about this, about us, so I'm just going to say this, if you want this to be more than what it is, you have to tell me." She threw out all the lines she had rehearsed in her head and just went out with it.

Jonathan looked her over again before standing and walking over to her. He placed a gentle hand under her chin and lifted her face so she was looking him in the eye. "Even if I did want more than this, you couldn't do it. You've already got a secret life you keep from your friends and family, you don't need to overload yourself with a secret love as well." He tried his best to keep her from learning the hard way that he was still dangerous.

She closed her eyes and waited a minute before reacting. She pulled away from him and walked toward his desk. Once there she grabbed the pad of sticky notes and a pen, writing something down. "This is my address." She stopped and looked back at him. "If you want, you can go over when you have a chance and we can talk more about it. If not, burn it." She held in a sigh as she did this. It was absolutely insane to consider being more with him, but she couldn't help it.

Jonathan turned to face her as she started to speak and listened, actually interested in finding out what she was doing. A soft sigh left his lips as she finished speaking. "You do realize I'm a dangerous sociopath that finds joy in watching people wiggle around in fear, that has made many attempts at mentally breaking you and your employer. Right?"

Barbara felt herself becoming more frustrated with herself with each passing second. "I know, but... You changed, and I thought I could help to keep you out of here as a patient." She looked down, completely hating herself.

Jonathan had to stop himself, knowing he couldn't keep doing this. He stepped closer to her and grabbed her shoulder, gently pulling her against himself. "Don't do this to yourself. If I decide to go, and this happens, we would have to keep it from everyone. I'm fine with that, but you're young, you shouldn't be trying to juggle work, family, and a relationship without any of them knowing about the other." He spoke in a low, calming whisper.

Barbara lay her head on his shoulder, not making much of an effort to fight him. "At least give it a try. Like I said, we can talk about it more later." She continued the softness.

Jonathan moved her so that they could look at each other. "Alright, how does tomorrow morning sound?" He raised an eyebrow. He really did want to try and make this work, but he was fighting it mostly to keep her from making a mistake.

She smiled a little bit. "That's fine. I guess I'll see you then."

The two went about their night as usual. She would wander around, sometimes stopping to have a brief chat with the staff and he filled out paperwork, putting it in several different files, occasionally he would step out of his office and wander around. When the two passed each other, they would look in opposite directions and proceed to walk aimlessly through the halls.


	7. Chapter 7

The night continued like that for a couple of hours until Barbara quit seeing Jonathan. Assuming he had left, she settled down a bit, still a little uneasy from their earlier meet up. She was certain nothing would go wrong, but there was still that small sliver of chance that he might just kill her. It wasn't likely, but the idea still lingered.

She waited until Dick showed up to let her go before she left. There was a pang of guilt as she started up the bike and left without saying much of anything to him. It wasn't too overwhelming though, it was more because she knew he worried a lot about her. Rightfully so too.

She pulled into an alleyway a few blocks from her home, and pulled her hood off then proceeded to layer her clothes on over her suit. Sending the bike back to the cave, Barbara ran from the alley and toward her house.

It didn't take long for her to get home, a five minutes at most, but it still seemed like it was so much longer. She couldn't help but think of what she had done. It wasn't even because Jonathan would now know who she was, assuming he wouldn't figure it out on his own, but more because she did this all behind Bruce's back. Normally, she was the good kid, the one that didn't really step out of line, unless something really bothered her.

She started her regular morning ritual, which started with locking her door and eventually ended with her face planting into her bed. Considering she was never really at home, there was never any cleaning to be done so she could cut that off her schedule. Usually she didn't eat breakfast either so in reality, she was only changing and going to bed.

Between the guilt and excitement, Barbara didn't get much sleep, if any. Thinking about it as much as she did, she actually felt herself getting sick, the kind of nervous sick that makes you feel like you might lose your last meal but it never happens. That lingering feel deep down that is only born when a tough situation forms.

She tried her best to convince herself nothing would happen, even came up with reasons he wouldn't show. It bothered her how certain she was that it'd be okay, especially since it had only been a few weeks since Jonathan was deemed sane.

The idea stayed, that small thought that he might turn. It refused to leave. It was rough and almost unreasonable. He didn't seem dangerous, well, too dangerous.

This went on for a few more hours, Barbara taking rest where she could get it. Her constant worry only worsened with every minute that passed, but it didn't travel alone. There was a small gathering of anticipation, the good kind, the kind that wanted him to come.

A soft knock on the door sounded as the internal debate continued. Barbara remained in bed, not quite convinced she was going to even answer it. Finally deciding it was for the better, she picked herself up and crossed the house to her front door. She looked through the peephole briefly before unlocking the door and opening it slightly.

Standing, rather calmly in the doorway, was Jonathan Crane. He smiled a little bit. "Good to see you're awake, I didn't want to wake you." There was a brief twinkle in his eye that would have been missed in a blink.

Barbara felt her heart skip a beat as she saw this. He was her definition of perfect. "Uh, yeah, I haven't really been sleeping today, mostly just napping." She shrugged and stepped aside slightly. "Why don't you come in?" A smile also came to grace her features.

With a small nod, Jonathan stepped inside. He acted as though they had been friends for years now. "Thanks. You know, you really should be sleeping more. It's not healthy, mentally or physically."

Shutting the door, Barbara felt a slight blush creep over her cheeks as she quietly escorted him to the living room. She was still dressed for sleep. It wasn't anything weird like ducky pajamas, but she did have a shirt on that was made out of thin material and some loose fitting pajama bottoms, the sort that seemed like it belonged in a set with a button up shirt. "I know, I'm told all the time." She sat down comfortably in her armchair, which sat a little off to the side of her couch, both were pushed against walls though. "Can I get you anything?" She shrugged timidly.

"No, I'm alright." He sat down on the couch. "So, you're one of the bats?" He didn't want to make it seem like he had an interest that didn't exist.

Barbara looked him over a couple of times before looking down at the ground. Even when he wasn't trying, he was attractive. "Yep, that's me..." She looked up again to see he was also looking at the ground. "So, I guess this means we're going to try this?"

Jonathan glanced upwards. "If you want, I won't make you." He sounded certain of himself, even if he wasn't. "I wouldn't mind if you threw me out right now, I also wouldn't complain if you decided to forget this and go back to what we were doing."

Barbara quietly moved from her chair to the spot next to Jonathan. She placed a gentle hand on his and smiled. "I want to try us." She felt that nervousness building up again, it was actually hard for her to do this.

Jonathan gently turned his hand and took her in his own. "I'm glad." Once more, there was a small smile that firmed on his lips.

Unable to hold back any longer, Barbara bit her lip and leaned in closer. There was slight hesitation as she did this though. She carefully pressed her lips against his.

There was a brief pause before he pressed back, returning her kiss. He didn't pause because he didn't want this, but rather because he was trying to contain himself.

Barbara felt him holding back and decided to advance, half hoping she could get him to want her more. She ended the kiss briefly before starting another one, a more passionate one. Somehow she had forced herself to want him and was now trying her best to transfer that desire to him.

He proceeded to hold back, seeing how far she'd take this before giving up. He was comfortable with letting her control the moment, knowing full well that she was more than just excited he was there.

Growing a bit more desperate to feel his touch, Barbara placed her free hand on his cheek and deepened the kiss. This kiss lasted just a minute longer before she stopped it. She exhaled deeply and bit her lip, now wondering if he wasn't actually interested.

Just as she was about to give up, Jonathan placed a hand on her cheek and slammed his lips into hers. He pushed his tongue into her mouth and began playing with her tongue. Just as Jonathan started this, he also started to move into a new position.

It wasn't long before Barbara found herself with her back pressed against her couch, Jonathan above her, controlling the moment. Naturally, she wrapped her legs around his.

Enjoying his new place against her, Jonathan refused stop now. He moved his right hand down and held it on her waist for a minute. He broke the kiss for a brief second, not even long enough for air, before slamming his lips back against hers. She was successful in tipping him over the edge.

He carefully slid his hand under her shirt, one finger at a time until it was completely hidden by the material covering her body. Rather than moving too far, he slid his hand across he stomach, getting a better idea of her body without seeing it.

Barbara let him do this as she found her own way around his body. She rubbed her hands over the outside of his shirt for a while before started work on getting his tie off. It was harder than it should have been, considering she couldn't actually see it.

Jonathan stopped the kiss once more, taking an extra second to breath before quickly rejoining their lips. He loved the idea that they didn't have to stop because of work or their surroundings, it was okay for them to let their guard down and just enjoy themselves. He slid his hand back across her skin and left it resting on her side for a while.

Barbara finally beat the knot in his tie and pulled it off before moving to his shirt. She unbuttoned each button one at a time, pulling away from the kiss to be able to enjoy this.

One his shirt was open, Jonathan leaned down and kissed her again. He really didn't want to spend a second without her lips pressed against his own. A small shudder escaped him as he felt her hands rubbing against his skin. He ended the kiss once more, but rather than picking it up again, he moved down a bit, kissing the base of her neck.

Barbara bit her lip and tilted her head away, giving him better access. Before he was able to move again, she planted her right hand in his thick, dark hair, instantly tangling itself up.

Jonathan smirked slightly, feeling this new adjustment and felt it was time to get her to make a little noise. He scraped her neck with his teeth as he moved up an inch and kissed her again.

She gasped slightly at this and moved her hips a little, half hoping he'd continue to pay attention to the rest of her body. She felt weak, defenseless, like she didn't even want to try and fight him, like she might actually be left physically hurting if he stopped.

He did this a couple more times before kissing her jaw and returning to her lips. He pushed his tongue back into her mouth and began exploring and playing with her tongue.

Barbara groaned a little and bucked her hips up against his pelvis to let him know that she yearned for him to go on, to touch her more.

Jonathan exhaled a little deeper and pushed against her further. He was determined to make her feel like she needed him, rather than just want. He started to grind up against her, his own desire building alongside hers.

Barbara let out a small groan and pulled Jonathan's hair a little. It had been a while since she was put in a position like this, but this was still so much more exciting than she remembered. It could have been because usually they were enemies, or because she knew they shouldn't be doing this.

He slowly ended the kiss and retreated back a couple inches from her lips. A small, devilish smile playing on his lips as he started moving his hand. It started it's way up slowly, but it didn't last long. What started out as just a soft ring quickly turned into the unmistakable sound of a phone ringing.

Jonathan sighed a little bit. "I have to get that." He pulled away from her, instantly missing her warmth. He checked his phone and felt himself droop. He answered the phone and tried his best to sound professional.

The call didn't last long, but as soon as it was over, Barbara knew that was it. She watched as Jonathan fixed his shirt and his hair, bringing back the regular Jonathan. "Unfortunately, I have to go in, one of my patients had a violent outburst and I'm needed. I shouldn't be too long, maybe when I'm done, I can take you out. Get dinner or something?"

Barbara smiled. "Yeah, that's great. I'll be ready." She stood up, stepped closer, and placed a gentle kiss to his lips. "I'll see you later."

Jonathan nodded a bit and that was it before he was gone


	8. Chapter 8

Barbara stayed in the living room for a while longer. She was a little anxious about her past week and the time to come. She had gone from the "innocent" girl everyone knew her as to someone completely different, all somehow without hesitation. It was all a bit strange.

She sat and pondered this for a while, whether it was a good idea, whether she should tell Bruce or even Dick, if she should let someone know. No matter the combination of words all she could come up with for an answer was no. Nobody could know. It would have to be their secret. Not another soul in the world could know.

Growing tired of being alone, she got dressed and packed her suit in her backpack. She knew it was a bit strange that, at her age, she was still carrying around a backpack but she had an excuse. She could say it was for her study group, a lazy excuse but it worked.

Before long, she was out the door and roaming down the street. Like normal, she was wearing two layers of clothing, a tank top and short shorts under her everyday clothes. Just in case, she told herself, just in case he needed her. Just in case Bruce decided he wanted help from a partner rather than just a sidekick.

A small sigh slipped out as she thought about this. It was all a matter of Bruce's own ignorance. He still felt that he could take on Gotham alone. He only used Barbara and Dick for patrol. She should have been used to it now, getting sent on errands, dropping info at the precinct, asking her dad for clues. It should have been normal, but she just couldn't bring herself to accept it.

She got to the corner of the street and started to question herself again. It wasn't a big deal, mostly just which part of Gotham she'd be wandering around today. Finally making her choice she crossed the street and continued forward until the next intersection.

She pulled out her phone, checking the time, hoping she had this right. She put her phone back in her pocket, crossed the street so she was walking down the right side, and took off in a quick jog. She jogged down the road, a sort of determination behind her step.

She stopped, almost dead in her tracks as she came up to the corner she wanted to be at. A quick search of the ground exposed nothing out of the ordinary, so the search went up.

Barbara scanned the roof of the apartment building across from her. If she hadn't trained herself to catch the smallest movement, she would've missed it. Crouching beside the rooftop access door, was Bruce, more appropriately, Batman. A victorious smile crossed her lips as she saw him, mostly because she had managed to pinpoint the exact location of one of the most elusive men in Gotham.

There was another moment of stillness before Barbara abandoned her current position. Being a little winded, she only burst across the street and stopped beside the building. She spent a minute catching her breath before she walked inside the building and straight for the stairs. It wasn't an option to use the elevator, the waiting group was too large as it was.

She alternated between jogging up one flight of stairs and just walking up the next, deciding it was better than just charging up the stairs. She walked up the last flight of stairs and continued at the same pace down the hallway, looking for the rooftop access. The last door in the hallway was her door, and she felt relieved that she found it.

Silently, she pushed open the door and held it until it shut. She pressed her back against the wall behind her and slid around the corner, half hoping to catch Batman off guard. Just as she made around the corner she felt her shoulders slump, he was gone.

She walked over to where she saw him just minutes ago and searched the newly visible grounds. On the roof across from where she currently stood was the man she was just trying to catch. Apparently, he thought she needed this.

She smiled again, moved back around the cover for the door, for extra secrecy, and changed into her batsuit. First it was the skin tight body suit, next it was the boots, then the gloves, utility belt, and finally the hood. As she pulled it on she completed the transformation from Barbara to Batgirl. She shoved her regular clothes in the bag and closed it up, tucking it away securely behind the vents across the roof. She then continued her chase.

She ran across the roof and jumped, knowing she wouldn't make it across all on her own. Her cape provided enough resistance to slow her falling enough for her to grab her grapple from her belt and launch it. The hook at the end wrapped around one of the conveniently placed gargoyles. This being a normal experience for her, there was no hesitation as she started up toward the roof. Once she got up, she crouched up on the gargoyle for a split second before she was on the move again.

This time, he waited a while longer before taking off, just so she could keep up with him in the chase. Barbara watched as he jumped from the roof they were on to the one across from it. It was close enough to jump to without any help. She was about fifteen feet away from him as they continued, she mimicked every move he made. Slowly gaining on him.

The pair kept going for a while longer, in a harsh but fun, exercise session. They tad easily crossed eleven buildings before Bruce decided to settle down and relax, the most Batman would at least.

Barbara stopped a few feet away and bent over, panting for air. She was actually rather tired, even though she had great endurance, she still didn't compare to Bruce.

"I could've gotten away, if I didn't stop, you need to work on speed." Bruce commented calmly, he was a little tired himself, but refused to let it show. "I'll figure out a training regiment for that."

Barbara gave a sort of half chuckle. "Yeah, well, I was already tired, so you're not even being fair." She joked, even though he would probably just ignore it.

"Anyway, good suit up time." He complimented her, deciding it would be better than prying at her speed. "But I'm sure there was another reason you came out here." He could've been mistaken for curious, but it just didn't happen.

"No, I was just bored, so I went for a walk, this was just a coincidence." She shrugged a little and moved more toward the edge of the building. The apartment complex they started on was still visible, and didn't seem as far away as it really was.

Bruce nodded a little bit. "I'm glad you've picked up on keeping a suit with you, especially with how bad everything has gotten." He was gradually losing his batman voice and just talking like he normally would.

"Not gonna lie to you, if my dad knew I was Batgirl, you two would be the same person." She smiled a little bit. "Gotham's no place to let your guard down, for even a second. Self defense is necessary, carry your batsuit everywhere." She laughed a little as she play mocked her dad and Bruce at the same time.

There was a moment of silence that fell over the rooftop. "Oh, right, you're allergic to smiling. What were you doing up there anyways?"

"Patrolling." He finally spoke up. "I was checking the area more thoroughly. There's been a number of jewelry shops getting robbed. I was making sure nothing was out of the ordinary."

Barbara got serious."You know who's doing it." She didn't have any real disliking for Selina as a person, but she was still a criminal. "Unless it's not her style."

Bruce went back to perching in the shadows. "Of course I know who it is. Selina moved her hideout recently, I'm going to have to get her in the act." 

"Tough." She muttered, half hoping he wouldn't hear. "I think I might go check on some of the other stores, since I'm already dressed up." She suggested immediately after.

"I've already been to all of them, but if you want to double-check I won't stop you." He continued briefly before throwing himself off the edge of the building.

Barbara watched as he glided down into an alleyway, disappearing into the dark. Like normal, he didn't invite her to come along, or particularly ask for help. He still believed he was a solo act. Barbara sighed a little bit and started back toward the building she left her stuff at.

It wasn't long before she was back atop the roof she abandoned previously and changing into her street clothes. Once more she had nothing to do. With only a second's passing she was back in the building and on her way down the stairs.

She started to throw ideas out there for some sort of activity. It started with the usual, go to a park and sit around until someone needed help, walk around Gotham some more, visit her dad, hang with some friends. At this moment she remembered there were no friends. She had distanced herself from a social life so she could go about her quest to save Gotham without some friends getting curious. 

She could've gone to hang out with Dick, but he was stuck patrolling Arkham, and that was the last place she felt she could be. Deciding it was best to go home and rest up for her shift, she made way back to her house.


	9. Chapter 9

Barbara was woken again by the sound of her phone singing out for her. She sat up suddenly and started fondling around in the dark for her phone. Finally finding it, she checked the caller ID and answered it with a calm and quiet 'hey, Dick, what's up?'

"I was just calling to see if you could cover Arkham for me tonight. I've got a lot of stuff I have to do around the cave that I promised Bruce I'd do them tonight." Dick sounded tired, like normal. He had probably been up all day and then some. "I know it's your day off and everything, but..." He was cut short by Barbara's voice.

"No problem, I can do it." She spoke up a little, only half awake. She knew he was tired and probably had a lot to do, but aside from that, he was still a kid, technically. He was only eighteen, a kid according to her.

"Thanks, Babs, I'll make it up to you." There was a sudden uplifting in his voice as he spoke up again.

"Yeah, I'll talk to you later." She smiled as if he could see her and ended the call. Not a second passed before she was up out of bed and getting dressed in her suit. It was the same order as always, bodysuit, boots, gloves, belt, then the hood. Even in her half asleep state, she could still do this. It was drilled into her head from years of doing it.

She tiredly looked at the clock and let out a sigh, she'd have to leave now in order to get there on time. She left the silence of her home through the back, to avoid unnecessary questioning.

She didn't waste anytime getting away from her house to avoid too much attention. Normally it was still around this time, but she didn't want to risk it. She ran down the street for a while before cutting into an alleyway. She called the bat bike and waited for its arrival.

It wasn't long before the bike pulled up beside her. She slid the helmet on, mounted the bike, and left the security of the darkness. She started toward the asylum, not having much time to waste.

It didn't take a lot of time to get to her destination, as the traffic had been at a low for the day. She stopped outside the gate and waited for the guards to open it. Only one side was opened, but it didn't matter, she could fit through anyway.

She quietly passed through and pulled off to the spot she usually parked at. She killed the engine and moved inside. There was a sort of hurry in her step as she did.

The asylum was quiet, like normal, it was after hours so there were no visitors, most doctors and nurses were on their way out or already gone, and the inmates were all in their cells. They weren't actually inmates, and they weren't actually cells, but they could've been.

She walked straight passed the reception desk and on towards the main body of the penitentiary. Barbara found herself wandering aimlessly through each row of patients, she wasn't really awake, but she wasn't entirely asleep either. Once again, she had drawn the short straw on sleep.

She made it through her first patrol of the night and quietly made a note of the time. She was only a few minutes behind, but somehow it would affect her more than it should've. She stopped and talked with one of the nurses for a while, the two talked about some of the more dangerous patients' recent behaviors. It wasn't like the nurses really knew a lot about that stuff, but it was still good to get involved.

After a while, the two split up and went their separate ways, unfortunately, Barbara knew where hers would take her. Straight to the office of Jonathan Crane. She didn't dread ending up there like she normally would've, she just couldn't figure out how she quite got there.

Just as she reached for the door handle she was met with the man she wasn't quite sure she wanted to talk to. "Can I help you?" Jonathan sounded almost patronizing.

"No, just doing... Office checks." She covered herself the best she could, it still hadn't quite come to her why she was there, she just was. "Nothing serious really, but since you're here, I guess I can keep going." She started to walk away, it was hard for her to talk to him right now. Maybe it was because she was tired, maybe it was because she was questioning herself, she wasn't sure, but she didn't want to have to justify herself at this moment.

She was stopped by the feel of a, yet again, surprisingly gentle hand. "Why leave so suddenly? You have all night, why not take a minute to yourself?" He sounded gentle, not really like the person she thought she knew.

She froze, her own heart seeming to stop as he held her in her place. "We need to talk, preferably, in your office." She bit the inside of her lip, turning only slightly to face him.

Jonathan let go of her arm and opened his office door, inviting her in. "That's fine." He waited for her to enter before following her, shutting the door behind them. "What's wrong, Barbara?" He asked, an honest touch of curiosity covering his words.

"Us..." She muttered. "We can't keep doing this. We shouldn't have started this. I mean, we don't really even know each other and already, I'm addicted to you, I can't stop thinking about you and this and what I'm doing. I'm betraying every single part of myself." She didn't hold back as she spilled almost everything on her mind to him. She wasn't physically tired, she wasn't even emotionally tired, it was her body refusing to let her desires get to her, it was her own self fighting her.

Jonathan stared blankly at her for a minute before taking his glasses off, rubbing his eyes and replacing the thin framed spectacles to their proper place. "Well, I know what's wrong, I'm just not sure you'll be okay with it." He shrugged simply.

Barbara couldn't take her eyes off him, she wanted to know, even if she wouldn't like it. "What?" She asked curiously, she had forgotten how to control herself.

"You're in love." He answered just above a soft whisper. "Maybe not with me, maybe not the traditional kind of love, but you're in love with the idea of this. This forbidden romance, the rush, you're physically attached to the thrill."

Barbara stood still, frozen again, her heart stopped for sure. He was right, not entirely, but he was right. She was in love.

Jonathan smiled a little bit, mostly because she seemed so confident in herself just three days before and now she wasn't entirely certain of who she was. He gently cupped her chin and pressed his lips to hers. He wouldn't admit it, but he had fallen for her too.

Barbara didn't argue as she felt him kiss her, she just kissed back and got lost again. There was no denying he swept her off her feet. She had fallen deep. She placed a hand on his cheek and deepened the kiss slightly.

Jonathan ended the kiss and stared down into her eyes. He didn't want to push it too far right now, considering their current location. He quietly pulled away from her and stepped away from the door. It was hard for him to do this every time they even got close, but restraint was necessary. "I have to go down to records, I've got a new patient and need to get as much information on him as I can." He dropped his voice to a soft whisper. "I'll swing by tomorrow around noon and we can go to lunch, if you want to."

Barbara smiled a little bit. "I'll be ready." She quietly left the room and was gone.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh. So it's been a really long time and I'm so sorry. However, I have a long chapter this time, Yay! I hope to be updating my other stories soon. I'm not sure given my confusing schedule at this time, but I shall try to get to them.

"Tomorrow afternoon? Yeah right." Barb groaned as she checked the clock again. Already time had ticked over to 2:30. She wouldn't be able to stay up much longer, she still had to work. That was probably it too. Jonathan probably just got stuck at work. It happened to her all the time. The number of dates, hang outs with old friends she had to miss, or father daughter nights she had to cancel because of work was too high to count. It was only a matter of time until it happened to her.

Finally giving up on the whole lunch date, right around 3, Barbara crawled back into bed and forced herself to sleep. She'd have to if she wanted to make it through the night.

**********

Awoken by the sound of her alarm, Barbara made haste to turn it off and get suited up. Sure, it was a few minutes before she had to leave, but the worst that would happen would be getting lectured by Dick about spending too much time at the asylum, she could live with that.

Once again, she slipped out the back of her apartment, took to the roofs until she got far enough away, called her bike, and started toward the asylum.

She went through the normal process of getting parked and inside the building, Dick was waiting by the front entrance and seemed ready to leave. "Waiting for me?" She asked softly as she approached him.

"Only always." He gave a boyish smirk that hinted at the teasing tone to his voice.

"Says the one who literally made me wait an extra two minutes, after our run last month, before you arrived so I could go home." She grinned a little. Yeah, so it was two minutes, still enough to get them both lectured about speed and time.

"Yeah, well, I was going easy on you. I could've left you in the dust if I wanted to." He responded, quick to defend his ego. "Hey, so, I gotta talk to you. B is sending me out to Blüdhaven for a little while. Think you can watch this place on your own? It'd be kinda like waiting around in the cave for something to happen for days on end, except, things might actually happen."

"Yeah, I think I can handle this place. How long is a little while, though?" She didn't have to give much thought to it. It was a part of her training to stay awake for days off of minimal sleep, it should be no problem, considering nothing had been happening.

"A couple of weeks, most. It's just a little while." Dick gave a small smile to sell the innocence of it. "Besides, if you ever need time off, I'm sure you can give B a call and he wouldn't mind giving you a break."

Barbara nodded a little. "Eh, it's no problem." She returned the smile. "You are now officially relieved of duty." She held her smile as she watched Dick walk away.

There was no concern for a report on the day's events, if there was anything worth concern, Dick probably would've told her. She wandered through the asylum with a slightly slower pace than normal, hardly any hustle in her steps.

She passed by Jonathan's office a couple of times, never actually stopping, though she debated it as she walked past it. Honest contemplation on what they were doing, where this would take them, and how far they planned to take this was going through Barb's mind the entire time.

If this became anymore than a secret office romance, like a secret office relationship, would it last? Would it have the same affect? Would they even be able to have a relationship? If they let it die tomorrow, would everything go back to the way it used to be? Would she ever be able to go back to the way she used to be?

It hit her after a while of thought, she'd have to tell Bruce. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not even until they've broken up, or worse, gotten engaged. This opened up more questions. What would he think? Or say? Or do? Would he kick her off the team? Probably. Would he ever trust her again? Probably not.

This hit her hard and forced her to find a quiet place to sit down and think about. Unfortunately, she only made it down to the end of the row of cells before she collapsed against the wall.

She's risking far more than she first considered. This was easy for Jon, maybe he'd lose a little credit in the underworld, maybe he'd lose some respect, maybe he'd catch a lot of hell from the other rogues, but she would lose everything. Her job, the trust she'd worked so hard to gain, her father's respect if he found out, her closest friends, her life. No wonder this was so easy for him to start.

It was easy for him to risk her life. Had it been his life on the line, none of this would've happened.

Maybe it wasn't like that. Maybe he never actually intended for this to happen. That was way more likely. Jon was a little sadistic, but he never seemed to be the guy to go out of his way to destroy everything a person was. Unless it was mentally, that seemed to be his specialty for a while.

"Are you alright?" Jonathan's voice split the silence. Of course he just happened to find Barbara while she was having a crisis of sorts. It was just his nature to always show up when someone was distressed, especially if it was his fault even if it was only mildly his fault.

"Huh? Oh, yeah... I'm fine." Barbara was ripped from her thoughts unexpectedly. She was completely unprepared for his presence and it bothered her that he just happened to be there.

"Really? You seem... Upset." He muttered softly. It wasn't strange that he could tell people's true feelings, even if they didn't show right away. She wasn't feeling well, and he knew it.

"Just thinking." Her voice was distant like she was still thinking, either that or she was spooked by his sudden appearance.

"Probably don't want to do that on the floor. Just saying, there's a lot that happens on that floor." He offered his hand to her, a small smile resting on his lips. He wasn't lying, a lot did happen on the floor, but it was still clean, it always was. It had to be.

Barb took his hand and stood up. She glanced over his features, getting caught off guard by his smile. It was somewhat disturbing, yet extremely handsome at the same time. "You're right. I probably shouldn't. I have to get back to work anyway." She pulled away from him before starting down the next hallway.

Jon followed her almost step for step. "Hey, I'm sorry about lunch. I got kinda caught." He explained softly, he'd already been down this way and knew no one was around, but it was still important to keep quiet about it.

"It's fine. I understand. Wasn't even worried about it." She repeated his softness in voice. She wasn't lying, she really wasn't worried about it.

"What were you thinking about, then?" He couldn't help but let his curiosity show a little. She was the only person, except Batman, that he couldn't read like an open book.

"Just some stuff. Nothing too important." Alright, that was a lie. She wasn't about to start listing everything she was thinking about though. "I thought you didn't work today." She stated rather plainly, in a desperate attempt to get the subject off herself.

"Normally, not this late. But I guess that's what happens when most of the doctors come down with the same illness. Saturday morning hangovers." He joked, though, he probably wasn't far from the truth. Almost half the psychologists and psychiatrists called in sick. Either something was going around or they all went drinking.

A small chuckle was pulled from her lips. "Fair enough. You're gonna be seeing a lot more of me too. Nightwing isn't gonna be here for a while."

"Hm. I do hope you're not planning on being here the entire time he's gone. You know that won't go over well." He glanced over at her as they walked. There was no way he'd let her stay for any long amount of time. Even if it meant he'd have to kidnap her.

"Well, probably not all the time, I'll take an hour here or there." She smirked a bit, really just to see his reaction.

"Foolish girl. I guess that settles it. I'm gonna have to kidnap you, some how." He knew she was only messing with him. There was no way she actually thought that was acceptable.

"Well... I guess that's one way to get the girl. Why do you care so much?" It was an obviously self answering question, but it had to be asked.

"You're joking right? Or did you really lose all memory of the past few days?" He wasn't sure if he was serious or just joking at this point.

"No... I just assumed that was more of a game for you." Her eyes wandered all around the hallway, but never settled on him. This was one way to introduce her previous thoughts to him.

"I..." He was speechless. It might've started as a game, following her around, constantly bugging her, teasing her, but it certainly wasn't a game anymore. It got serious as soon as he first kissed her. "You definitely weren't 'just thinking'." He muttered a little. "I... Don't even know what to say to that." He couldn't tell if he was hurt or honestly intrigued by her statement.

Barbara found herself stopping dead in the middle of the hallway. Was he serious? If she was reading him right, he had actually started to care for her. "Jon..?" She whispered softly, unable to actually take her voice above that. "I think we should talk..." Really? That was all she could say? Tonight was not her night.

"Agreed. Do you want to talk now or should I set up an appointment? I'm beginning to think there's something wrong with your head." He didn't mean anything negative about that, just that she was incredibly strange. Granted, that seemed to be the style for women in Gotham. Incredibly strange or exceptionally mad, in a crazy sense that is.

"I'm being serious." She spoke more to herself, Jon seemed to be quite serious as well. "I think we should talk now."

He nodded a little in agreement before escorting her to his office, it was the only quiet place that didn't have cameras and microphones all over the place.

"I'm going to go ahead and let you start this, you obviously have a lot on your mind." Jonathan spoke softly, despite the lack of need to.

"I... I just kind of figured it was a game to you because... You don't really seem all that bothered by the thought of losing everything because of this." Barbara spoke in all seriousness. "I mean... It just seems like I have much more to lose because of this than you do... I don't even know if you have anything to lose."

Jon sat back and listened as she explained herself. "Hm. I understand. Really, I do. You think this is a game to me because I haven't shown any concern for losing what little I have to lose. But that's where there's something wrong with your head. You're the only thing that's important enough to me to actually cause any kind of worry about losing it. I'm only afraid of losing you."

Barb froze slightly. No way did he just say that. Jonathan Crane was literally the single most emotionless man in Gotham, well, aside from Batman, and he just confessed to being afraid of losing someone. "Jon..." She finally muttered, her voice dry as she was completely overrun by shock. What was there to say in response to something like that? Literally nothing.

Without thinking about it, Barb leaned forward and pressed a gentle, yet passionate kiss to Jonathan's lips. It was the only thing she could think to do. A quick second passed and she carefully pressed a hand to his cheek, deepening the kiss a little.

Jonathan was mildly surprised by the kiss, but quickly recovered and kissed her back. This was probably the only thing that could've been done, even if she did have something to say in return. His dark blue eyes slid shut as the kiss was deepened, his only response was to rest his hand on her waist. He never trusted anyone enough to let them into his life this much, but he couldn't stop himself from letting her in.

Barbara slowly ended the kiss and let her hand slide down his cheek to his neck. She noticed a strange bump under her hand, almost like a bandage. It was one of those things that if she wasn't trained to notice everything little thing, she probably would've overlooked it.

Instant concern lit up her face as her attention was brought immediately to the bandage. It wasn't a large patch, just a long one and only a couple of inches wide, but there was a very clean line of blood that had seeped through. "Jonathan, what happened?"

"What happened? Oh, the cut? Yeah, had a patient lose control today. Stabbed me with my own pen. It's kind of surprising how clean of a cut he got." His hand also came up to rest on hers. "Nothing to worry about."

"Nothing? It's started to bleed through! This isn't nothing. I'm going to get some bandages from the infirmary, don't go anywhere." She spoke quickly before practically running out of the room. What was with the men in her life always saying life threatening injuries were nothing?

Jon didn't even catch a chance to argue as she left the room, instead he only got comfortable on the couch reserved for patients. He wasn't usually one to follow orders, but there was no point in arguing. They'd just end up back here.

It only took Barb a few minutes to get the bandaging and return. A small smirk rested on her lips as she walked straight up to Jon and sat on his lap. "Just to make it easier." She told him, but in all actuality, she really just wanted to be here.

She carefully removed the soiled bandage from his neck and set it on the table beside the couch. After cleaning the cut up a little, she placed a clean bandage over the cut.

"Well, thank you doctor, I feel--" His sarcastic remark was cut short as Barbara forced a kiss to his lips, demanding silence without speaking a word. He only groaned in slight protest, though he really wanted this.

Both of Barbara's hands came to rest on Jon's cheeks as the kiss deepened. She sat back down flat on her knees, and his lap, as she kissed him.

This was torture absolute torture. Here she was completely disregarding the fact that, while she'd be able to hop right up and go on with her night, Jon would be stuck with the thought of her tormenting him like this. He moaned slightly as she sat back down, his hands both coming to rest on her hips, encouraging her to stay.

She didn't complain as he tried to persuade her to stay, instead, she only kissed him deeper. A small, unexpected gasp escaped her as she felt his tongue begin to explore her mouth. Her left hand carefully slid to the back of his head to tug on his hair.

If he could smirk, he would be. This was one of the rarest opportunities and he'd been graced with it on more than one occasion. However, this one seemed it would be taking much more than the others of the past few days.

Barbara groaned as her ear piece sparked to life, causing her to jump back away from Jonathan. Almost like a child with a guilty conscience.

"Barbara." Bruce's voice sounded just as stern as ever.

"Yeah, B. What's up?" She asked calmly, even if everything in her was on edge.

"You never called in. Dick came back, but you never let me know that you relieved him."

Was this really it? This seemed like a waste of time. He wasn't checking to see where she was, he was nitpicking. "Yeah. I'm here. First building check has been completed too. Sorry, I forgot to call in."

"Don't do it again." That was it, hid voice cut silent and the earpiece fell dead.

Barbara pet out a soft sigh and went back to Jonathan, only kissing him softly before heading for the door. "I have to get back to work."

"I understand. I probably should too if I plan on getting out of here before tomorrow." He smiled a little and let her leave, even if it went against everything he really wanted. Worst came to, her just start running around the asylum, either in attempts to burn the extra energy or to find Barbara.

"Goodnight, Jon." She smiled a little before leaving the room. She couldn't risk Bruce getting curious and catching them. She had to know control. This was just proving that she did know some level of control.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so so sorry I haven't updated this story in so long, I got caught up in so many things going on in life, I forgot I needed to. I'm so very thankful for those of you who stuck around and waited patiently. Thank you so very much. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. I apologize for any mistakes, please let me know what you think.

Barbara had been called back to the cave as soon as her shift at the asylum was over, because she definitely didn’t need sleep. She groaned slightly as she plopped down on the chair behind the Bat computer. How dare Bruce call her back and then not even be there. She looked over the stats on the computer screen. Bruce’s vitals were all normal, so he wasn’t in trouble, just making her wait. A quick location scan and she knew exactly where he was, at least he was on his way back toward the cave, which wasn’t even a promise that he’d be coming back.

After what felt like hours, the Bat mobile finally pulled up onto its platform and Bruce hopped out. Barb didn’t say anything until he was up on the same platform as her, even then, he still managed to beat her on who spoke first. “Thanks for coming.” He couldn’t have sounded more insincere if he was trying to.

“No problem. It’s not like I had anything else planned.” Either Barbara had come across as particularly snarky, or just plain annoyed, because Bruce caught an expression of concern.

"Did you?" He actually sounded a little concerned as he pulled his cowl off.

"No, I was just gonna go home and go to sleep." She looked over his features before shrugging. "Anyway, what did you want?"

"Oh, I wanted you to thank Doctor Crane for the intel on Michael Torrence. It didn't come through, he was merely taking credit for it. Probably a cover up for the real criminal. Jim's got him down at the GCPD trying to figure out what he knows." Bruce sounded far too comfortable with this, like he didn't think Jon was going to tell the truth anyway. Though, it was entirely possible Jon lied to her anyway.

"Alright, I will when I see him later. I'm going to go home and nap for a few hours, I'll be back at the asylum shortly after I wake up. Assuming he'll still be there." She muttered her last sentence then eventually stood up. "Is that all? What'd you get from Nigma?"

Bruce stole the chair and turned to the computer. "Nothing. He saw me coming and he wiped his drives. All that's left is what he kept backed up on a drive. Getting that won't be easy. Needless to say, I'm going to push him, you focus on sleeping and keeping an eye on Crane. I still don't trust him."

Barbara let out a sigh, yeah, she knew what he was hinting at. "I guess that's why I'm here." She smiled a little. "I'll let you know when I head out, alright?"

"Fine." Bruce muttered slightly, undoubtedly still grouchy from Edward's move.

Barbara left shortly after, not saying anything beyond a simple goodnight to Alfred as she left. She'd gone out by foot, deciding to give herself a moment to herself. She was still fully suited, so she wasn't worried about safety.

Once Barb made it back within city limits, she took to the rooftops, it'd be faster at least. She lept from roof to roof, making it to her apartment after quite a while of dodging around the city. She wasn't particularly too excited to get home. There wasn't really anything there but to sleep and get ready for work.

She crept in the front door, once she made it into her apartment, she shut the door and started stripping from her suit, not quite being delicate about it. Once a piece was off, she dropped it to the ground and proceeded to walk in toward her room. She'd decided she was done with anything Batgirl related for the night.

She pulled on a loose, short sleeved shirt and a pair of short shorts before practically collapsing onto her bed. Between Bruce, Jonathan, and the extra time she was going to be spending at the asylum, she needed as much sleep and time to herself as she could get.

After only a few short hours of sleep, the familiar tune of Barbara's alarm sounded and she snapped awake, immediately turning it off. It was already time to get back to the asylum, which meant a long day of a whole lot of nothing happening. She dragged herself out of bed and grabbed a towel on her way to the bathroom. She turned on the water for the shower and started her day.

A fifteen minute shower was pushing it on time, but would it really matter if she was just a few minutes late? It's not like anybody would notice. She dried off and wrapped her towel around her body, not really seeing the point in clothing, she wasn't expecting anybody to come visit.

Breakfast, then it was straight on to work. Dressing in her suit, she was out the window and off to the alley where she would call her bike. This had become a sort of ritual. She'd done it so much, she could probably do it with her eyes closed.

Walking in the front door of the asylum, she was greeted by the receptionist behind the desk, who promptly explained that Cash was waiting for her in the break room. She gave a small smile in acknowledgement and thanked the young woman for passing on the message.

She made sure to check as many cells as she could on her way to meet up with Cash, who'd decided he'd take any watch she couldn't while Nightwing was out of town. Another small smile came to her lips as she spotted him, he was asleep on the couch. It wasn't a bad thing, he was pushing himself to help her, it was actually kind of sweet.

"Cash?" She spoke softly, covering the chuckle in her voice as she did. "Cash? You wanna go home?" Apparently, that was all he needed to hear as he practically woke up the instant it was spoken.

"If you wouldn't mind, I think I've still got a few more hours in me." He had to have been joking. There was no way Barbara was going to let him hang around any longer.

"No, I've got it covered, you go home and get some rest." She held her smile. "I'm serious, I'm going to go do a quick patrol, if I come back and you're still here, I'm gonna call your wife." She didn't give him a chance to reply before she wandered out of the room and down the corridor to the main cell block.

It was easily 11 in the morning, everybody would be awake and there would be quite a hustle around, Barb had come to expect this during the day. She'd also come to expect a lot more doctors throwing work onto her, like dropping off papers on other Doctors desks, transporting patients, because she was available. It wasn't a problem, it was part of the reason she was there.

A few hours passed and she finally got a moment to herself, so she immediately climbed to the roof of the asylum. She didn't know if she was up there for the silence, or because she was hiding, but it didn't matter. It was calm and quiet, a rare gift given around Arkham.

"Hiding?" Jonathan's voice sounded behind her. "Or are you contemplating flying away?" So his jokes, if it could so be called that, were bad, there was a reason he chose fear.

Barbara turned and faced Jon, leaning back against the raised brick wall that ran along the roof. "Maybe a little of both." She chuckled softly. "Didn't realize you came in so early. You're usually around when I come in at night."

Jon walked over to stand next to Barb, looking out over the asylum grounds. "Yep, I work day shifts. Usually, that's when the patients are awake." He joked again. "I just really don't have much to do since I lost the ability to terrorize Gotham, so I hang around for seventeen hours a day."

"You know, you're slowly proving my theory, you really don't have a life outside of this place." She was being sarcastic and was hoping it would come across as such.

"When did I ever deny it?" He really didn't have much to do outside of work, friends weren't really a thing for people with his record, and hobbies were just a waste of time.

"Fair enough." She also turned to look out over the asylum, as she was before, though hers was with more purpose. "Come up here often?" She wasn't joking anymore. If she was going to be here days and nights for God only knows how long, it'd be nice to have a hiding place with some tolerable company.

"When I can. Security is still keeping a close eye on me, and understandably so. When I get a break from them, I come up here. It's obvious enough, they wouldn't look for it, and low enough I could just jump and run." He was joking, or so it seemed. He didn't look like he was joking, but when did he really?

"Well, be careful with that. I'm gonna be here, so I have to react to any suspicious behavior." Barbara glanced over at Jon for a minute before letting out a sigh. What was she doing? What were they doing? How could Jon just pretend like there was nothing between them when there was so much more than she'd let really anybody else have. How long was this even going to go on for? How long could she keep this from Bruce? Or even her dad. "Jon..."

"Don't." Jonathan's voice was soft and serious, he already knew what she was going to say. She'd been thinking about all that could go wrong, all the factors. He had too. "What we're doing, what we've done, what we know, it's dangerous and it's bad, but I figure that's why we're doing it. You've been forced to conform, I refuse to. You're doing this for the thrill and I'm, well..."

"You're doing it because you can. You're an agent of chaos in your own way." She didn't dare to argue with Jonathan. Everything he said was right. Almost too right. "Don't you just think that we should be a little safer. People have probably noticed that you've been hanging around me since you were released."

Jonathan looked over at Barbara. "Exactly, since I was released, not since this started. Everyone here is looking why something happens, not the reason it's happening. I was manipulating them. Making them suspicious of my fondness to you. No doubt, those that will get curious, already have and have already passed my actions off as me trying to get on your good side."

Genius, that's what he was. He was a genius in his trade. "Clever." Barb smiled a little in Jon's direction. "I have to get back to work. I'll talk to you later."

Jon nodded a little and watched as she walked away. She didn't get more than a few steps away before Jon grabbed her wrist, turned her around, and pulled her body back against his. He leaned down to close that gap between them, pressing his lips against hers firmly, but gently. All before she could say anything to stop him.

Barb practically melted into his kiss. Damn him. Damn everything about him. Why was he so comfortable with this? Maybe because he's still seen as a dangerous sociopath. He'd get possible jail time, or a return to Arkham, because he was making a move on her, she'd get a slap on the wrist, kicked off the team at worst. She brought her free hand up to rest on Jon's cheek while she kissed him back. Her fingertips gripping lightly at his hair. How dare he male her feel like this.

There was a moment of complete refusal between both parties before Barbara finally ended the kiss. She stared into Jon's eyes for a few seconds before she pulled away and tucked her arms behind her back. "I guess I'll be seeing you later tonight." She said before wandering off the roof and back into the heart of the busy asylum.


End file.
